Not So Fair Game
by AtomicKokoro
Summary: Marc gets lost at the fair and is almost kidnapped! My version of how Marc became afraid of clowns.


**Not-So-Fair Game**

**By: Atomic Kokoro**

**Storyline**

Marc gets lost at the fair and is almost kidnapped! My version of how Marc became afraid of clowns.

**Before You Read**

Request from theamazingspiez1 on dA because I felt like taking requests at the time.

This is my version of how Marc became afraid of clowns.

Don't talk to strangers, kids. Seriously.

On with the story.

…

**Not-So-Fair Game**

It wasn't long before they arrived at the fair. six-year-old Marc looked around the large area the fair was contained in. "Wow," he said.

"Mom," Tony began, tugging his mother's trousers. "Can I have some cotton candy?"

"Of course," she said, picking up the five-year-old.

"Let's go over here, Marc," Lee suggested, leading him towards one of the game tents. "Do you think you can win something in this?"

Marc sighed. "Lee, I hope you know all these games are rigged."

"Not this one," Lee said with a smile.

"But look at the size of the rings and the size of the posts. No one can get that!" Then he added with a smile, "Unless you're me."

Obviously, this was back when it was easier to understand Marc when he was being smart. "Just play the game!" Lee growled and showed the man the ticket. Marc took the rings and tried to get them to fit over the goals.

He got every one.

Marc's prize was a **stuffy. A dog. He cheered and cuddled the thing like it was best thing that every happened to him. "I wonder what I should name you," he wondered quietly to himself. "Maybe Lee has an idea."

He turned around only to find nothing. No Lee, no Tony, no Megan, no mom or dad. "H-hey! Where did you go, Lee?" Marc yelled before turning to try and find Lee.

How long he was running for, Marc wasn't sure. He eventually turned in between two tents to cool off in the shade. Marc slowed down long enough to dust off his beige jeans and his new stuffy. Then it clicked. "I-I'm lost!" he gasped, his heart racing. All those stories of kids getting lost and never getting found. He wasn't...no, surely his family would find him.

Marc stepped back in fear something bad might happen.

"Hello," said a voice. Marc stiffened immediately then whipped around. The voice didn't sound like it was warm and inviting. "What do we have here?"

Marc's gaze lifted to a clown's face. "Um, hi," he said. "I'm lost. Can you help me?"

The clown smiled. "Of course, little boy." Marc did not like being addressed as 'little boy'. Neither did Tony or Lee, but Marc didn't like the way he said it. "Follow me." The clown turned and began out the back of the fair.

"Excuse me, sir. But I think the fair is that way." Marc pointed behind him, hoping the clown was just turned around.

The clown turned back, a slight scowl. "I know where I'm going. Do you want to find your parents or not?"

Marc gulped and began after the clown. The second they entered the parking lot, Marc stopped, his spy senses ringing bells and whistles; 'WARNING'! "H-hey, u-um...Where are we going?"

"Don't you trust me? I'm not going to hurt you."

Marc stepped forward, sighing, and continuing to follow the clown. Clowns had always been decently nice. Sure, they looked scary, but he never found anything bad about them.

Holding his prize by the hand, asked again, "Why are we in the parking lot?"

"I need to get something from my car," he said.

That sounded like a lie. 'WARNING'! The bells and whistles again. He gulped a huge lump of air and continued to follow.

_Get out of there, Marc! Mom always told you to never talk to strangers!_

But I can't find mom or dad! This man's gonna help me.

That's what you like to think, but that isn't happening. He's going to hurt you if you don't run.

But what if your wrong? What if he's telling the truth?

_What if I'm right? What if he hurts you? Better safe than sorry, Marc._

B-b-but-

No buts! Get out of there!

Marc snapped back into reality, only to realize he arrived at the clown's car. It only a few more steps and he would be there. Marc stopped just before the car door. He looked around.

He backed up a step. The urge to run was overwhelming. Marc turned to run away, both in fear and in instinct, but he was grabbed by the waist and dragged back. Marc screamed.

"Should've decided to run sooner," the clown chuckled, opened the back of the truck.

Marc screamed over and over for help, but the parking lot was deserted. He wasn't getting any help. He was going to be kidnapped!

A shoe smacked the clown in the head and he dropped Marc. Marc fell to a crouch and looked up at the stunned clown. "What the-?" the clown stuttered.

"No time to waist!" yelled a blond girl about his age a few isles from them. "Let's go!"

Marc bolted towards the fair. The girl caught up and grabbed his hand. Stuffy in one hand, the girl's hand in another, he sped up to his 'spy' speed, dragging the girl and the stuffy behind him.

They ran out into the open where there was tons of people. Marc and the girl took a moment to rest. "Thank you," he finally said after a few minutes of breathing.

The girl smiled. "You're welcome. I couldn't think of anything else and there just happened to be a shoe nearby. I couldn't just stand by and watch."

"My name is Marc," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Chris," she replied, taking his hand and shaking it. "Glad I could save someone before it happened again."

Marc nodded. "Are you lost, too?" he asked.

Chris looked at him like he was crazy. "What? No. I'm independent, now."

"But what about your parents? Are they worried?"

Chris shook her head. "No." Marc couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. His parents were always on him. Except for this time. Except for the time he was going to be kidnapped. He could see, now, why they were overprotective. "Let's go find your parents, okay?"

Marc and Chris wandered around aimlessly, unsure of what to do or where to start. _Two six-year-olds wondering around the fair._ Marc thought to himself. _No wonder the clown was going to take me. I was so gullible and stupid and naive. What would've happened if Chris didn't save me?_

"Hey, is that them over there? The one with the baby?"

Marc chuckled. "Tony isn't a baby. He's five." Then he looked up and saw what she meant. It really was his parents. His father was carrying Tony, who had passed out over his shoulder.

How long had he disappeared for?

"Yeah! That's them!" He said, turning to look at Chris. "Thank you so much, Chri-" Just like Lee when he had been lost, Chris was gone. "Chris?"

Marc turned back to look at his parents. Joy, confusion, and relief hit him all at once and he sniffled.

"Hey, Marc! Where have you been?" Lee asked, approaching him. Then he realized he was crying. "Uh, are you okay?"

Marc shook his head then ran to his mom and hugged her. "Mom!" he sobbed. He retold his whole story through tears. Karen pulled Marc from the ground and cuddled him.

"It's okay, Marc," she whispered. "The man's gone now. He can't hurt you. We're here."

Marc nodded and sobbed.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, stood Chris, the blond little girl. She turned and started away from the parking lot before fading away and no longer to be.


End file.
